Things I have learned about eBay and Feedback

I'm hopping onto my Seller High Horse again!

I normally do this when I have something to say and no other way vent it other than posting in my blog.  Skimming the eBay discussion forms is depressing enough when you are looking for answers.  But, when it comes to Buyer Feedback, there is something that is glaringly obvious.  Many sellers are not happy with eBay's new feedback policy.

Lots of us don't like the fact that we can't leave negative feedback for a bad buyer.  However, I HATE leaving negative feedback - I'm just too nice :-)    But really, I honestly wonder if it does any good to leave negative feedback to a Buyer at all.  When I make a sell, I'm really not immediately concerned with a buyer's feedback.  I'm more concerned with making the transaction a pleasant experience for myself and my buyer.  I have NEVER rushed immediately to a buyers "About Me" page to read the feedback after a sell.  In fact, I usually don't concern myself at all with feedback until 3-5 days after the item has been shipped.  The only thing that would make me check a Buyer's feedback is if they begin making demands after purchasing or committing to buy an item. That being said, I'm not upset by the fact that I cannot leave negative feedback to buyers.

However, I DO feel like Buyers should be held to a stricter set of standards.  Sellers on eBay already have to deal with some of the toughest e-commerce standards on the internet.  I realize this is for everyone's benefit, but I feel that buyers need to be held responsible for their actions as well. 

For example: A Buyer left feedback for an item without first contacting me about a problem. Judging from the Buyer's feedback score I determined that they are either fairly new to eBay or have re-joined under a new ID.  Judging from the feedback left, they obviously did NOT read the item description. They complained that the item (clearly listed as PRE OWNED) was used.

So, what to do? Not very much.  I left a brief response to the buyer's feedback: "The item was listed as PRE OWNED". I sent the buyer a message that I was unhappy that I wasn't contacted about the problem.  I could have filled out a Feedback Revision Request. I chose not to because I doubted it would do any good.  The transaction was over a month old and completed according to eBay. I couldn't even leave a refund in good faith (yes, I tried).  Also, I have only 2 negative feedback out of nearly 600.  The negative wasn't hurting me - although it DID hurt my feelings. 

Back to Buyer responsibility:  What can eBay do to improve Buyer standards? I believe that part of the problem with bad Buyers is that they don't bother to read item descriptions, and they know little about the etiquette of buying and selling on-line. eBay should be just as active with the education of Buyers as it is with the education of it's Sellers.

1. Send e-mails to Buyers / Sellers about E-Commerce Etiquette when they join eBay, file negative feedback, or file complaints.
2. Put pop-up warnings in their windows when negative feedback is submitted. Fill those pop-ups with handy links like  All About Feedback and the Resolution Center.
3. Require Buyers to contact Sellers about problems before negative Feedback is finalized. This is a pet peeve of mine because Sellers are required by eBay to resolve issues with Buyers. Yet, Buyers are not held to the same standard. 

Despite all this. I still like eBay very much.  I like the fact that eBay revises it's policies instead of using the same old antiquated formula.  To me, this shows they are willing to change with the times and the attitudes of the market. I only hope that whenever I leave suggestions or ask questions of the administrators on eBay, that someone is listening.